Novels by Malik Finn

The floor beneath our boots snapped with a sharp metallic crack, and the hundred-ton steel maintenance platform dropped into free fall toward the toxic sea below.In our world, the floating sky fortresses stayed in the air using massive anti-gravity anchors built directly into their underbellies. The Grand Council installed emergency release latches on every outer deck, allowing high commanders to drop entire sections into the clouds whenever a breach occurred. They built these systems to destroy enemies without wasting military ammo, showing absolute disregard for anyone standing on the falling plates. But Kemi never counted on luck or mercy from Council leaders. She operated on pure logic, always preparing for the worst outcome before her enemies even thought to press the trigger.As the wind roared in my ears, Kemi stayed completely still, her small red eyes

My hands tightened on the iron vent grate as I looked at the woman with cold silver hair, her face an exact twin to our sick mother resting inside the shuttle.In our world, the Grand Council kept their noble bloodlines completely pure to maintain control over the sky fortresses. The high families held total power over the lower city, enforcing strict laws that executed anyone from the slums who dared to marry into the upper district. For fifteen years, Mother told us that our relatives died during the Great Purge because they fought for rebel freedom. Seeing her twin sister standing on the maintenance platform in the pristine coat of a High Commander meant that our entire childhood was built on a massive lie, constructed to keep us hiding in the dark while the upper ruling family held the keys to our real heritage.Kemi did not let her emotions cloud her judgm

Green clouds of deadly poison gas poured into the sealed hanger from four ceiling vents, turning the air thick and bitter within seconds.In the brutal hierarchy of the sky fortresses, the Grand Council considered lower-city lives entirely disposable. Their automated security systems were designed to wipe out whole bays without human approval, burning away evidence and prisoners whenever a breach occurred. They believed their thick iron doors made escape impossible for people like us. But they did not know Kemi. She had spent years studying every mechanical flaw in the Council’s architecture, driven by a fierce determination to make them pay for destroying our family.Kemi ripped off a strip of cloth from her shirt, soaked it with water from her canteen, and tied it tightly across her mouth."Do not inhale the

The heavy black chains attached to my older brother’s arms slammed against the iron deck plates, sending sparks flying across the dark landing bay.In the world of the sky fortresses, the Grand Council kept their most dangerous secrets locked behind crimson suppression runes. They captured powerful rebels from the lower city, erased their human memories with neural brain chips, and turned them into mindless living weapons. These chained soldiers knew no pain, felt no mercy, and obeyed only the remote signal held by the high prison officers. Seeing my brother Dapo standing there after four years of believing he died in the Sector Four fire made my chest feel like it was being crushed by a heavy stone.Kemi did not freeze or let her eyes fill with tears. While I stood completely frozen in shock, her small brain was already analyzing the glowing red runes ca

The heavy iron cage slammed onto the landing deck, trapping Kemi inside as four dark shadow soldiers stepped into the bright floodlights.In the world of the Island, shadow magic was not a natural talent that anyone could learn. It was an ancient, illegal power created by the original founders of the lower city to fight back against the Grand Council. The ruling families thought they had wiped out every single shadow user fifteen years ago during the Great Purge, burning their families and sealing their bloodlines forever. Seeing another person command shadow soldiers meant that my father’s secret legacy was never unique, and the Council’s reach went far deeper into our past than I ever imagined.Kemi did not panic inside the thick iron bars. She grabbed her silver knife, her sharp red eyes tracking the woman in the red coat standing on the high bal

The yellow warning light on the dashboard flashed directly into my eyes, proving that our freedom was nothing more than an automatic trap set by the Grand Council.In our world, the Island was surrounded by three massive iron fortresses built floating high above the cloud layer. These sky prisons were designed specifically to hold political enemies, illegal mana users, and slum rebels who threatened the Council's absolute rule. The fortresses used heavy magnetic fields to disable all outer engine systems, leaving any captured ship completely helpless in mid-air. Once an autopilot lock engaged, the high-frequency control beam dragged the vessel straight into the prison gates, where automated execution squads waited to dismantle the ship and destroy everyone inside.Kemi didn't freeze or show an ounce of panic as the shuttle roared toward the giant black walls of